For A Minute
by Leife
Summary: AU/Modern - Zidane is part of a treasure hunting company called Tantalus that embarks on the adventure of a lifetime - stealing the princess of Alexandria. He's about to get more than he bargained for when he agrees to hide her away from Queen Brahne. Can he set this canary free from the bonds that once kept her?
1. The Ice Cavern

The cavern was a beautiful sight to behold against the light of the lanterns. The ice was a blue-green color and looked as if it were translucent. The frozen landscape looked pure and clean against the dark colored rock. Strange flora littered the hollow. Some had sprawling leaves of various lengths and others sprouted flowers that appeared to be without color, but most were frozen over with snow and ice. Sharp, thick stalagmite formations burst out of the earth and toward the ceiling. Some were as thick as a man's waist or thigh.

There had to be several different exits and entrances that lead out of the cave, even if on a subterranean level, for a brisk draft seem to be present at all times. It was not pleasant, nor refreshing, for it stung the eyes, cheeks, and lips of the people below.

"You're almost there, Zidane! Don't slip," came the booming voice from down below. A blonde haired man of twenty-seven years old grappled with the slick wall of the cavern as the climbing equipment lightly jingled in his ear.

"That's easy for you to say! You're not the one trying to climb up a vertical wall of ice," he shouted back to his comrades as he dug his right foot into the wall. The metal crampons attached to his boots made climbing the rock and ice a bit easier, but the task was still daunting. Despite the freezing temperatures, sweat still managed to bead up around his forehead and fall into his eyes. The combination of the salty sweat and the dry air made his eyes feel dry and they stung terribly. He wanted nothing more than to do his part for the mission and leave.

Putting all of his weight into his right foot he hiked his left leg higher before digging it back into the barrier. Each time he tried to wrest his foot away from the rock and thrust it back in he was met with resistance. His muscles burned and screamed for reprieve. Zidane was just inches below where the team had discovered Ice Brand, a blade rumored to be blessed by the goddess Shiva. He quietly chuckled to himself as he thought back to the day that he and his crew were contracted to find the blade.

" _So, you understand that I am quite serious about this artifact being found, then?" A man that looked to be in his early sixties with bushy grey hair and thick rimmed spectacles leaned over the desk where Baku, the boss and founder of Tantalus Treasure Hunting, was seated._

" _It's a strange request, but we'll do our best to locate the weapon. I can't promise you anything, though. Ice Brand_ is _just a story." Baku's expression appeared friendly and hopeful, but to the trained eyes of his crew it spoke more of I-can't-believe-we're-fucking-doing-this._

 _The old man pleaded his case left and right that the sword was real. He assured the treasure hunters that all they needed to do was follow this map of the Ice Cavern that would lead them to a dead end. After he left, Marcus turned toward Baku and said, "Are we seriously going to look for some sword that is supposedly blessed by Shiva? We're really going to waste our time doing this?"_

 _Baku sat back and grinned. "They pay us to look. Doesn't matter if we find it or not."_

Zidane was suddenly brought back to reality as he felt something bounce off of his head. He tilted his head skyward and saw several large, sharp, and pointy stalactite formations hanging treacherously above. These rocky structures were mixed in with several icicles of varying shapes and sizes. Some nearly kissed the ground; they were that massive. A tiny piece of a stalactite had somehow come loose from the ceiling and had fallen, hitting his head on the way down. He began to work faster with more purpose as he muttered under his breath. Wisps of cold air resembling smoke trailing every word, he finally managed to reach the top of the cavern's wall. There appeared to be something behind the ice, but what it was he couldn't be sure.

"Hey, guys! Throw me that flashlight real quick!" Marcus deftly tossed the object up to Zidane. He peered into the ice behind the shine of the flashlight and glimpsed a shape that resembled a weapon of some sort, perhaps a sword. For a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of light emanate from the object. Incredulously, he grabbed his ice pick and swung the sharp end into the ice as hard as he could. The force of the pick hitting the hardened ice made his joints hurt and caused the rope that held him to sway against his body weight. Marcus and Blank, who were holding the rope below, cautioned him against any risky behavior while hanging roughly twenty-five feet above them.

He swung again and again, making sure that he wasn't tearing the anchor away from the ceiling of the cave or the rope from the anchor. Finally, he managed to smash in the barrier of ice and laid his eyes upon the very object they had been hunting. He paused for a few moments before reaching for the blade. The edge was wide and thick and appeared to be made of solid ice. Brilliant blues and deep purples colored the weapon. The tip of the sword came to three points with the middle being the longest of the three. Some kind of metal device was inlaid halfway down on the blade with a sapphire gem in the center. The hilt was pale and had only one sapphire gem at the base. It was both simple and complex.

"You guys are not going to believe this. This shit is real," he shouted to his friends below. The group at the bottom of the cavern looked at one another in disbelief as smiles spread across their faces.

"Okay, come on down now, Zidane. It's fucking freezing in here," Blank shouted. The red-haired man was dressed in more layers than the rest of the crew. He seemed to be far more uncomfortable in the Ice Cavern than the rest of the party. A rapid clicking noise could be heard throughout the small room as his teeth chattered.

"Say please," Zidane teased in a sing-song voice. He didn't have to look to know that Blank was probably rolling his eyes and gesturing rudely toward the blonde.

"You guys better be quiet," Cinna warned in a hushed tone. "I hear this place is full of monsters." His dark beady eyes roved around the room as if there was a devil behind every corner. Laughter from the rest of the group echoed across the chamber.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming down, guys." As Zidane began to descend from his place at the top of the hollow a noise that sounded like foot prints began to reverberate against the walls and ceiling of the cave. Everyone paused as the sound grew louder, but they did not stall for long as chunks of ice and rock began to pull away from the ancient grotto. Zidane suddenly remembered a nature special he had caught on television one night several months back. The Ice Cavern was supposed to be several million years old and as such was not the most stable structure.

"Oh shit," Marcus shouted as a large yeti rammed into the small space. Its fur was thick and brown in color and its size immense. It had to be at least ten feet tall and weigh half a ton, but the most terrifying feature had to be the two curved tusks that skimmed the ground beneath. A flicker of memory sparked in Zidane's mind as he again recalled the nature special on the Ice Cavern.

" _The yeti, a prehistoric and terrible creature, is rumored to call the Ice Cavern home. They haven't been seen in hundreds of years, but evidence of the brutes still lingers within the cave. They are thought to be strong enough to bulldoze most large commercial trucks and their tusks sharp enough to carve into areas of the ice walled cavern that are several feet thick. Some believe that the creature guards an ancient secret with in the cave…"_

Panic set in as he began to violently sway back and forth on the line. "Guys, secure the rope," he shouted, but it was no use. Blank and Marcus made an attempt to grab at the extra feed, but the anchor was knocked loose from above. One after one, each anchor along the wall was yanked from its location in the frozen barrier.

Meanwhile, the yeti began to charge at the Tantalus members on the ground. Blank jumped away from the charging behemoth as Marcus began to throw anything he could find at the beast with the hope that it might scare it away. The yeti's cry blasted the group's eardrums and sent stalactites and icicles wildly falling to the earth. Cinna screamed a blood-curdling scream, which seemed to catch the yeti's attention. The beast swung around and lumbered toward the small man, but Cinna had nowhere to go. Behind him lay a crevice in the rock and snow that seemed to have no end. There was nothing except darkness below. Covering his eyes, he waited in pure horror as the beast charged him.

Instead, he was knocked aside by Blank as a swinging Zidane collided with the beast, knocking it into the crevice with a shrill roar following its descent. The wind was knocked from his chest upon hitting the frozen wall and he momentarily felt relief at his newfound stillness. Zidane's respite was short lived, though. The sound of the last anchor began to make a crackling sound as it started to loosen from its grip. Shifting his eyes upward, he could see that he was barely hanging by a thread.

Marcus was the first to reach Zidane. His mind raced as he tried to take in the situation at hand. His fear was that the anchor would break if Zidane made even the slightest movement. However, he wasn't so sure if he, Blank, and Cinna would be able to grip the rope against all of Zidane's weight if he were to fall. The crevice was at least six feet wide and his friend just happened to be at the farthest end away from the group.

"Zidane… Zidane, I think you're gonna have to swing toward us," he explained breathlessly.

"Are you insane," Zidane called back. He looked at his companion through a sideways glance, too afraid to turn his head. He couldn't stop picturing himself falling and being swallowed up by the darkness below.

"Trust me. Blank, Cinna, and I are gonna hold on to the rest of the rope. If you can manage to swing toward us, you might be able to grab on to something. You're too far away for us to grab onto you safely. Please, Zidane, just trust me," Marcus pleaded. His words caught in his throat and he suddenly felt as dry as a desert.

Without a word, Zidane nodded his head ever so slightly. Gingerly lifting and placing one foot against the wall of the cavern, he pushed off as hard as he could. As if on cue, the anchor in the wall ripped out and Zidane felt his heart and stomach leave him behind as he free fell several feet before roughly coming to a halt.

He could hear his friends above grunt and growl against the strain of the rope. They began to pull as Zidane utilized his crampons to climb up.

"That wasn't so bad," he breathed as he lay on the frozen ground. He winced and smiled as he felt Blank's fist connect with his shoulder.

* * *

Outside of the cavern, the crew began loading up their supplies into the small airship. Zidane slicked off his heavy jacket and removed the crampons from his boots. Birds chirped as the sun warmed the earth and gave life to the plants around him. Long grasses hid most of his legs below the knees and wild flowers of all colors sprouted up around him.

A vibration in his pocket alerted him to a call. He sauntered off a few yards from the group as they finished loading the last of the supplies.

The name Baku flashed across the screen of his phone. Sliding his finger across the screen, he answered, "Yes?"

"Is that any kind of way to greet your boss? Your employer? The one who feeds you and clothes you?"

Zidane pushed the volume button down a few notches. Baku's voice had a booming characteristic that seemed to amplify on electronics.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, we found what we were looking for." A smile crept across his face as he could only imagine how surprised Baku must be at the news. His smile faded when he heard what Baku had to say next.

"Forget the damn sword. Get your asses back to the shop now. I got a whole new job for us and it is one hell of a doozy."

* * *

 **A/N:** The last time I wrote or published anything was in 2013! This is also my first attempt at an actual story. I usually just write one-shots. I'm hoping that with planning and the help of StrifeVsTribal I will have the confidence to really go for this.

I'm planning on doing a new spin on the original story. This will be more AU and set in modern times, but I plan on keeping the fantasy/sci-fi feel. I hope that you enjoy this first chapter!


	2. Masquerade

Dumbfounded.

It was the only way to describe how the blonde felt at that moment. The Tantalus crew were gathered around a large circular table in the company's meeting area. The room was elegant. Dark, rich wooden floors were accented by beautiful swirls of gold and dark green walls. It was where clients would gather with one of the crew members and Baku. The leader of the company insisted on always being present during client meetings, although he usually let one of the other Tantalus members talk. Baku was a large, proud man who thought that he had a knack for weeding out clients that weren't at all serious or who couldn't actually afford much more than the deposit for a job. As kind as the middle-aged man really was, he wasn't about to take on any charity cases. The lavish Tantalus building centered on one of the busiest streets in downtown Lindblum said as much.

Baku stood at the head of the table, arms crossed, with a look that seemed to say _I dare you to question my authority_. Everyone sat, fidgeting in their seats under his steel gaze. Cinna sat with his eyes cast downward as Zidane sat with one elbow upon the table, cheek resting against his fist; meanwhile, Blank nervously gave Ruby's knee a squeeze when he thought no one was looking. Marcus, who appeared the most relaxed, was the first to speak.

"So, let me get this straight," he began before clearing his throat. "You want us to travel to Alexandria, at night, without checking into border security, during a huge festival, to kidnap a _person_? "

"Not just any person, a _princess_ ," Zidane interjected.

Baku's dark eyes narrowed, but not with malice. He knew that his crew members were smart because he had handpicked them himself. They would not be easily swayed by such a dangerous endeavor. He also knew that he owed them a much lengthier explanation for the reason they were taking such a job; and they would get an explanation in due time, but preparations had to be made first.

"Look, I'll answer all of your damned questions as soon as you lot are done preparing The Nimbus."

* * *

To any ordinary person, the life of a princess appeared utterly perfect. Beautiful gowns, servants to wait on you hand and foot, delicious food, extravagant vacations… if only everyone knew what it really was to be a princess.

Garnet Alexandros sat at an intricately carved white vanity table with a large mirror. She stared at her own reflection, taking in a version of herself she did not quite understand. Her hip length dark brown hair was curled and piled high atop her head with an ornate circlet that represented her role as Alexandria's seventeenth princess. Sapphires adorned the white gold circlet as metal tendrils gracefully looped through her hair and framed her heart-shaped face. Full lips painted with a glossy pink lipstick parted slightly as a frown overtook her features. Doe-like chocolate colored eyes appeared empty. She looked like one of her favorite porcelain dolls that sat upon a shelf at the far corner of her room. Dejectedly, she thought that analogy was fitting. Like a doll, she was meant to look pretty and remain quiet. Just something nice to look at while not truly making a difference.

 _But who am I really? What can I do to make a difference? What can I do to live, rather than exist?_

Sighing, she realized that she really did not know the woman staring back at her.

A loud knock at her bedroom door shook her from her thoughts as her head snapped in the direction of the interruption. A tall, shapely woman with shoulder length honey brown hair entered the room. She looked formidable in her attire that consisted of wine colored leggings and armor that bore the Alexandrian seal. Her hair always seemed to shield her right eye. The woman took a few steps into the room and bowed low before addressing the Alexandrian royal.

"Princess Garnet, I have come to inform you that the Queen would like a word with you before the festivities are underway." Beatrix's voice was deep, but velvety. It resonated with nearly everyone that she spoke to; no one forgot the voice of the woman that boasted killing a hundred men in a single battle.

Garnet looked back to her reflection once more before nodding her head and rising to follow the general. If she had known that that would be the last time she ever gazed upon herself as royalty she would have lingered for just a moment longer.

* * *

The Nimbus was a secret airship that belonged to Baku's father. It was old and small, but after several years of tune ups and upgrades, the ship flew just as well as any modern day aircraft. The vessel was only brought out for jobs that required speed and accuracy, due to its smaller nature; it also helped that the ship was not registered, making the option of using it illegal and, therefore, only to be used as a last resort.

Once the supplies were loaded onto the airship, the crew summoned Baku to board. Given the speed that The Nimbus possessed, they estimated that they should arrive in Alexandrian territory within the next four to five hours.

Once Baku was aboard the ship, the crew turned to their individual tasks before take-off. Blank and Marcus made sure that the sails of the ship weren't damaged and were working properly. Cinna took over the maps in the navigation room, which turned out to also house the helm in the small aircraft. Baku nearly always steered The Nimbus. It was _his_ father's ship, after all.

Zidane stood beside Baku, just a few inches shorter than the giant man. What really differed between the two was how much slimmer the blonde was compared to the darker haired man. Baku had thick arms and a broad chest, where Zidane was deemed large in his own right, mostly due to his height, but his arms and chest were not nearly the size of the boss.

Zidane's blue eyes flicked over to his superior before settling on the view in front of them. Mountain ranges loomed overhead as grassy hills rolled around them. The Nimbus was stashed roughly ten miles outside of Lindblum city limits. Very few people had seen the ship before, making it especially useful during covert jobs. The name of the ship had even been painted over so that no one would be able to identify it by name. All serial numbers were scratched away from the various parts of the airship and there were no registration papers to be found. Illegal and, to some, immoral, but incredibly useful nonetheless.

"Hey, Baku… what's going on here? Why are we doing this exactly," came Zidane's hushed tone.

"Let me get this thing up in the air before I start explaining myself. Then I don't have to tell you and everyone else a hundred times. Once we're on our way I'll call everyone in here to tell them what's going on… son." The last part was whispered so quietly that only Zidane was able to pick it up.

 _Son. He called me son again._ A small smile spread across Zidane's face before he could help it. A warm feeling made his chest swell, but he quickly returned his expression to a neutral one. He didn't want the others to see how stupid he probably looked; standing next to Baku with a dumb grin on his face. That would require him to explain the reason behind his goofy smile and all he wanted was to keep the feeling all to himself.

Once The Nimbus was up in the air and heading in the direction of Alexandria, Baku called for all of the crew members to gather into the cramped quarters of the helm. A small rounded table was set up in the back with a few chairs that were probably as old as the ship itself. Blank stood leaning up against a wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Marcus sat at the table with his hands folded together, while Zidane sat on a backward facing chair, with his arms resting across the back of the chair, with his chin propped upon his arms. Cinna sat almost child-like on top of a crate. All eyes faced in the direction of their boss as they waited, painfully as patient as they could muster, ready to hear what could have caused this crazy mission of theirs.

After what felt like an eternity, Baku cleared his throat and turned to glance at the men behind him. With a sigh, he spoke of how this particular assignment came to be.

* * *

 _Surprise was a word that did not do justice to the situation at hand. A man in his sixties with a thick dark grey beard that hung to his lower abdomen stood before Baku with his hands drawn behind his back. He was dressed in common clothing, but the material was made of a rich silk that contradicted a casual appearance. Green eyes bore into Baku's hazel ones as a heated conversation took place._

" _With all due respect, Minister Artania, I have no fucking intention of risking the lives of my crew members or myself. This is a suicide mission and you know it." Baku's words were laced with as much wickedness as he could muster._

 _Minister Artania's thick brows shot up slightly, but he proceeded nonetheless._

" _Baku, you know you cannot defy the Regent. You two may have a long history together, but that does not give you the right to speak ill of myself, the Regent, or the mission he has bestowed upon you. You have a duty to your country as well as your Regent. Please do not make me remind you of such," the minister replied coolly._

 _Rage seethed through Baku as he tried to control his anger. It bubbled up inside of him and threatened to spill over into his actions as he resisted jumping over his desk and wringing the minister's neck._

" _I am well aware of my duty to this god-forsaken country, Minister. Why can't the fucking military do this, huh?"_

" _This is a delicate matter that requires stealth and accuracy. Sending in our military would alert the queen to our actions and the Regent wants this done in secrecy," the minister explained patiently._

 _Baku's hands steepled in concentration as he mulled over the minister's words. Secrecy? Why the sudden need for secrecy? Wasn't the princess of Alexandria technically his niece? If he wanted a sleepover couldn't he just send out an invitation or call like normal people? No, this was much bigger than a mere family get-together and Baku knew it._

" _I'm assuming checking into border security is probably a no-go then, hm," Baku asked quietly._

" _I believe that it would be in the best interest of this mission to be successful if you refrain from allowing anyone the knowledge of where you are going, how you are getting there, and what 'cargo' you are bringing back with you."_

 _The minister jumped slightly as Baku's fist came down hard on the surface of his desk. Rising to his full height of six feet-seven inches, he towered over the shorter minister. Hazel eyes were ablaze as they narrowed in suspect of the situation._

" _Fine, we'll take the damn mission, but not before discussing my price," Baku replied, teeth grit together._

 _The bearded minister motioned and one of the guards behind him came forward and placed a suitcase atop the desk. Before heading back to his place, the guard spun the suitcase to face toward Baku._

" _I think you'll find a reasonable sum in the case before you."_

 _Opening the suitcase, Baku was greeted with several hundred bills. Much to the minister's chagrin, Baku began slowly counting each bill until he was met with the final sum: 750,000 gil._

 _Closing the briefcase, Baku looked up casually at the minister and said, "I think this might be enough to cover the down payment."_

* * *

The hum of the engine was all that could be heard in the silence of the cabin. Each crew member stared with confusion and astonishment at their leader. Cinna's jaw was slightly ajar. No one spoke for several minutes once the story was finished being told.

Zidane tried to wrap his mind around it all. He never knew that Baku, his leader and adoptive father, had any kind of relationship with the Regent of Lindblum. He could only speculate at how that had come to be, but for now he needed answers to other questions.

"What the hell is happening that a princess from another country needs kidnapping," he asked.

"I don't have the answer to that one, Zidane. All I know is that we are getting one hell of a paycheck for this if we can pull it off, which we will. I've been planning this since the job was… _put_ into my lap."

The blonde's heart felt like it was in a vice grip. Fear, panic, excitement, and wonder all raced through his body as if he were the track for a chocobo race. He couldn't comprehend the dangers that awaited them once they arrived in Alexandria. Skipping around border security was definitely doable, but it also wasn't the easiest thing in the world. One would be required to either provide fake documentation, all while disguising themselves so as not to be recognized, or they would be required to fly in restricted airspace for approximately four to five miles as fast as they could without being caught on radar; which was like playing the lottery to begin with.

"How are we going to avoid border security," Blank asked, almost as if reading Zidane's thoughts.

"We're going the safe way. Put these on," Baku replied as he cracked one of the crates open. Several different garments were strewn haphazardly in the box.

 _How's that for an answer_ , Zidane mused.

* * *

"License and registration please," came the border guard's gruff voice. It sounded as if he had swallowed a handful of gravel, because despite the gruffness, he had an uneven sounding speech pattern.

Baku, who was now dressed in a garish yellow and green ensemble with a large feathered hat and mask in the shape of an owl, handed over the forged documentation to the guard.

"What's with the mask?"

"We're small time performers just hoping to make a few gil at the festival," Baku replied without missing a beat.

The rest of the crew were dressed just as ridiculously as their boss. Blank sported an orange and red outfit with an insect mask, Cinna was dressed in black and grey with an elephant mask, Marcus wore a purple and blue outfit and some type of aquatic animal looking mask. Lastly, Zidane wore a green and teal outfit with a monkey mask on. The masks were made of white plastic with colored details. Each of them felt sheepish in their newfound clothing, but they all did their best to act out their parts.

"Hn," grunted the guard. "Here, fly on through and keep your noses clean. I'd hurry if I were you, though. The events should be in full swing here soon. Enjoy the festival."

Baku thanked the guard and did as he said. Once they were through the gate, they stared in awe at the millions of lights illuminating the skyline. It was already dusk and the festival was nearly underway, just as the guard had said. Lively music could be heard and grew louder the nearer they came to the city. Instead of landing the ship near the shipyard, Baku casually flew the ship to the Eastern most corner of the city. It was close to the castle, but far enough away to not draw suspicion. Once Baku was content with where The Nimbus was parked, he turned to the Tantalus members.

"Alright, everyone remembers the plan?"

Each crew member nodded, but it was Cinna that shook his head.

"C-can you just r-run it by me one more t-time," he stuttered. Unease was such an understatement for the way that Cinna looked and felt.

Sighing, Blank spoke up, "Alright, come here," he beckoned to Cinna. The smaller, older man leaned in close to Blank as the redhead whispered the plan into his ear.

"We're going to pretend that we're part of the festivities. Just a group of traveling clowns trying to make a quick gil. After we're all sure that we can get inside the castle without anyone seeing us or becoming suspicious, we'll find the princess and drug her with sleeping weed."

"How will we get her to ingest the sleeping weed," Cinna interrupted.

Blank's brows knitted together in frustration.

"Pour it into her tea or some other beverage. If that doesn't work and it is absolutely necessary, use a cloth soaked in sleeping weed oil and cover her nose and mouth with it. After a few seconds she'll be out cold."

"Well, how exactly are we gonna get into the castle? They aren't gonna let us just waltz through the front door."

The other Tantalus members sighed, rolled their eyes, and hung their heads at their teammates memory.

"Marcus is going to find a way into the castle through an unguarded section of the wall. If he's unable to do that, he will join you in distracting the crowd so that Zidane and I can get to the docks. There's an old tunnel that way that leads into the castle. We can bypass the moat that way. Baku is going to stay with the ship so that we can make a break for it when we all come back. We're only giving ourselves three hours to get this shit done so if you're not back by midnight we're taking off."

Cinna's small eyes grew wide, but he forced one more question out.

"How are we gonna know what she looks like, though? No one has seen the princess in person, TV, or anything since she was seven years old," Cinna lamented.

"Look in your pocket," Zidane breathed.

Cinna blinked once at Zidane and stuck his fist into his pocket. Fishing out a crumpled picture, he saw a beautiful young woman staring back at him with a look of blank awareness. No happiness seemed to exist within her as her mouth was drawn into a straight line.

"Oh… I r-remember now. The minister gave these to Baku."

"Right. So, all you have to do, Cinna, is mill about and clown around. Draw attention away from the rest of us so that we can get into the upper levels of the castle and find the princess, okay?"

Cinna felt a wave of relief sweep over him. He could do that; play the clown and distract the nobles long enough for his comrades to complete their mission.

"Okay."

* * *

Paper lanterns of all sizes, shapes, and colors littered the stands in the crowded square. People dressed in brilliant colors milled about the makeshift shops. Some exclaimed over the overpriced objects being pedaled their way, while others laughed and carried on with beers in their hands.

"Do a trick for me, monkey!"

Zidane looked around to find the source of the voice. Finding no one, he started toward the castle once more, but stopped when he felt a small hand tug at the bottom of his pants. Looking down, he spotted a small, brown haired girl with pigtails and a pink dress standing before him. She had an innocent look upon her face, smiling from ear to ear.

Zidane thought for a moment and then proceeded to do a handstand to appease the girl. She squealed with delight and begged him for another trick. He obliged and showed her how he could walk on both of his hands as if they were a pair of feet.

She giggled and clapped her hands as, what Zidane could only guess as her father, slipped a few gil his way. Back on his feet again, Zidane made his way toward the castle gates as coolly and casually as he could. As he trudged through the crowd, he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror. An eyebrow shot up beneath the mask as he took in the sight of himself. His baggy clown suit hung on his frame like a child trying on their father's clothing. He was practically swimming in the material. A loose fitting hood covered his hair as black gloves hid his hands. He would have to try and remember to burn the damn thing once they were on their way back to Lindblum.

Looking ahead, the gate leading into Alexandria castle loomed above the square. It was a behemoth of a gate, but Zidane remembered the map they had been given with all of the weakest and least guarded access points into the main castle and beyond the moat.

The guards took shifts when it came to guarding the castle walls that faced inward toward the city. Call it laziness or the consequences of peace, but most Alexandrian citizens believed that a threat would never come from within their walls _. Pretty naïve, if you ask me,_ he thought. Between shifts, the guards would report off on any suspicious activity they saw or occasionally gossiped for a few minutes. This process generally took anywhere from five to ten minutes. Not a lot of time when one was trying to sneak past hundreds of people, but thankfully, most of the individuals enjoying the festivities were drunk.

Two guards were placed to watch roughly two hundred feet of wall to themselves. This meant that he would have to follow the western section of the wall and encounter the guards twice before reaching the Alexandrian harbor. Since traveling by water was so outdated, they expected to find only a few guards near the harbor; probably guarding freight.

As if on cue, Zidane watched as two of the guards near the gate disappeared from view. Zidane took the opportunity to rush over to the large castle wall. Placing one hand against the cold stone, he walked along the wall for several minutes until he found a secluded spot where no guard could be found. If he missed his opportunity to sneak past the guards he would be forced to wait a whole hour until the next report took place.

Sudden fear went through him like a knife as he felt the weight of a hand upon his shoulder. Relying on instinct alone he reached back with his left arm and seized the throat of his attacker, jerking him forward and slamming him into the wall before him. He stared into his best friend's green eyes through an insect mask, his hands raised up in surrender.

"I come in peace," he choked out.

Releasing his grip on the redhead, Zidane replied lowly, "Don't fucking do that again."

"Alright, alright… I just happened to see you and thought I'd follow you. Cinna's actually doing a pretty decent job of distracting most of the crowd. Not sure where Marcus went though, are you?"

Zidane thought back to where his fellow Tantalus members were. He had last seen Cinna performing all kinds of embarrassing tricks for a gathering crowd some several feet away from the entrance. He had even noticed the guards atop their towers and walls paying some mind to the short, clownish man. He recalled Marcus disappearing into the crowd, but could not be sure which way he went from there.

"No, not really."

"Well, maybe he's already inside the castle. We should take this opportunity and get our asses to the docks."

Without saying a word, both men made their way along the white castle walls toward the direction of the harbor. It took them nearly an hour to get passed the second set of guards along the wall, but before long they could smell the salty sea air. The wall seemed to drop off as the natural rocky coastline took over. Three female guards were perched along a shorter wall at the center of the harbor with their legs dangling and swaying in the breeze.

"Ugh, I can't believe we got stuck with dock duty," bemoaned one guard.

"I know; we can't even see the festival. How boring," replied the other.

"Maybe we should play a game," suggested the last.

Blank gently nudged Zidane's shoulder and motioned with a flick of his head to follow him. The two men creeped along the rocky coastline and managed to climb around until they were inside of the inner walls of the docks. The three female guards were so distracted in trying to find a game they could play to pass the time that they did not think to turn around. If they had only turned around they would have caught the Tantalus members and it all would all have been over.

However, luck seemed to shine their way as they silently made their way into the inner chamber that housed a large statue of an armored female with a helmet obscuring her face and a large trident that almost glowed an ominous red color. The statue was seated upon a round hunk of stone with intricate runes carved into the surface. Small channels of water lead directly to the statue and it seemed to float upon what little water was there. The two men looked at each other and walked forward to a slab of stone that looked like a podium. What could have, and probably should have been, was one simple lever. Zidane motioned for Blank to stand next to the statue as he flipped the switch and sprinted to the spot next to Blank.

The sound of something falling and landing with a thump resonated in the small chamber as the water beneath the statue began to drain. Without warning, the whole object began to submerge beneath the chamber, carrying the two frightened men with it.

Within minutes, the statue and the men resurfaced into a separate room. They looked about, but saw no one. Staying low, they creeped out of the Neptune room and saw that to their left a long hallway was dimly lit, but they were unable to go that way due to a large iron gate blocking the entrance. Without much choice, they turned toward their right and saw that it led out into the courtyard, which gave access to the moat. A few guards could be seen milling about. Zidane became concerned as he was unsure how he and his companion were going to slip passed them. There was no way to cover themselves or slink around once they left the safety of the Neptune room. The courtyard was completely open with only a large fountain near the moat to offer any privacy.

As if on cue, a large man dressed like a knight came clinking up to the two guards nearest Zidane and Blank. He appeared to be at least six feet tall with a stocky build. His hair was covered by an old fashioned iron helmet with a feather stuck through that looked like something one would see on television. The rest of his body was covered in silver armor of the same material. Reaching the female and male guards, he huffed and puffed out his orders.

"You… You two… Come with me," he huffed. "There's a performer… by the main gate who seems to think… he knows of a plot to ruin the festival. Something… about fireworks."

The two guards looked at themselves and then at the oddly dressed knight. Saluting, the three made their way to the moats.

"Wow… I guess there is a god," Zidane murmured.

Less than three minutes passed by until the pair were inside of the castle, but those three minutes seemed to stretch on for all eternity as far as they were concerned. Servants milled about in the castle, as well as nobles of various statuses. Music roared and laughter could be heard echoing throughout the grand halls.

 _This must be the party for all the highest ranking nobles_ , Zidane guessed. He spotted a few strange performers throughout the party and decided that that would be how they would sneak about the castle.

"Follow my lead," Zidane whispered to Blank. The redhead nodded and followed Zidane into the lavish palace. The floors were made of white and black marble with matching columns. Statues and paintings of former rulers littered the main chamber of the palace. The largest, most beautiful chandelier the pair had ever seen hung high above them. Similar to the Alexandrian streets, the nobles were all dressed in various shades of color, sizes, and shapes. Women with hair piled high giggled with men who sported shiny, slicked down hair and moustaches that had been oiled and shaped as well.

Zidane made his way through the crowd, performing tricks for anyone's attention that he caught. Blank followed suit and before they knew it they found themselves before an archway of stairs that curved around to a modest walkway above. Two female guards stood outside of the large double doors. They appeared much more focused than the guards encountered at the harbor. Zidane grit his teeth as he wondered how he would get around the pair of guards.

"Hey… hey, I think this room over here is where we could get some new costumes."

Zidane turned to his companion, puzzled at his newfound epiphany. Before he could protest, Blank was leading him quickly across the room to a lone wooden door at the end of the compartment.

"Blank, how do we know what's even in here? What if there are a ton of guards in here with their thumbs in their asses just waiting for a couple of assholes like us to waltz in?"

"Just trust me, okay?"

Zidane sighed as he resigned himself to being led into what he could only imagine as the end to their short lives.

"Ok, dramatic one millisecond pause for effect," joked the redhead.

Zidane rolled his eyes behind his monkey mask, but was suddenly very aware of how good of an idea Blank had come up with. Behind the creaky wooden door lay a room covered in soldier's armor. Iron breastplates, gloves, helmets, boots, leggings… even weapons glittered around the room. One lone table and chairs sat at the far corner as a small fire mewled at the far side of the room.

"Damn… Blank, I gotta hand it to ya."

"When I'm right, I'm right… right?"

This time, it was Zidane's fist that made contact with Blank's shoulder in annoyance.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey there! Sorry this has taken me a while. I was having a hard time finding my inspiration. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to continue this, but the spark found me again. Thanks StrifeVsTribal for encouraging me and editing my stories. You are a lifesaver!

Thanks to all those who reviewed and followed this story. I will do my best to keep updating regularly. Some ideas have changed, but the bones of this idea are standing strong. I hope I did okay describing the scene. I've never written anything this fleshed out. Usually I just write a bunch of erotic-fanfics with no plot and call it a day.

In case anyone is wondering, this story will feature a lemon later. It wouldn't be my story if I didn't include a lemon! So for those that shy away from such a thing, I will alert you all to which chapter this will be once things get there. Don't worry, I will make it believable to the plot.


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